The Penrith Panthers are coming off the ultimate success - a premiership.
2021 was a remarkable season for the Panthers as they went from one high to the next, not losing a game during the first half of the season.
Injuries impacted their ability to keep the rage going, but Ivan Clearyโs men rebounded strongly from any poor form and then ground their way through the finals.
Their qualifying final loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs came as something of a shock given the form they had on display up until that point, but the following three weeks proved their deservedness as premiers.
A tight win over the Parramatta Eels, then another over the Melbourne Storm who had barely looked like dropping a game since about Round 3, then a grand final win over the team who had beaten them in Week 1 of the finals.
2022 brings with it new challenges and questions, not least of which the fact every team will be up to beat them.
Thatโs always the case with premiers, but their carry on in the grand final celebration might have just a few teams out to get them a little more than usual this year, and certainly the clash against South Sydney will be ferocious with Viliame Kikau signing โGlory Gloryโ likely to be etched into the memories of Rabbitohs fans and players a like.
For a premiership team, the Panthers have had remarkably few departures from their top squad, and so it could be anticipated they will be somewhere near the top again as they strive to become the next team to go back-to-back, widely regarded as the toughest challenge in rugby league.
Here are the burning questions to shape the Panthers season.
Can Penrith handle the intensity for six months?
The Penrith Panthers are going to be up against it every time they run onto the park this year. There is simply no doubt about it.
Every single team they come up against will be trying to knock them over, and as mentioned, their carry on after the grand final will only spark the flame further.
2021 brought with it โeasierโ games. No game is โeasyโ in the NRL, but there were teams last year, whether down to poor squads, the new rules, injuries or a mix of all three, who simply werenโt up to standard to play in this competition.
That may not be quite the same case in 2022. Most sides in the bottom eight look like they have improved, the Sydney Roosters get a clean slate on the injury front and other teams will be desperate after coming close in 2021.
Forget about everything you thought you knew in terms of teams dominating over the last 12 months - the competition could be about to be flipped on its head, and the Panthers will be target number one.
They may be forced into scraps for competition points on a weekly basis, as they were during the finals series.
Will Viliame Kikau find his best form?
At his best, Kikau is among the best players in the competition. A barnstorming second-rower, the word โunstoppableโ springs to mind fairly quickly when you think of him at his best.
But when he isnโt at that high level, other words like โdroppableโ and โerror-proneโ are far more likely to categorize his style of play.
He found a new level coming off the bench at the back end of the 2021 season, but will need to carry that form back into a starting spot in 2022 following the departure of the versatile and ever-consistent Kurt Capewell.
He isnโt the sole key to the Panthers fortunes in 2022, but there is no doubting just how important Kikau will be to Penrithโs charge.
Can Kurt Capewell and Paul Momirovski be replaced properly?
Two huge losses for the Panthers.
They have barely gotten a moment of media attention, given the chaos which has ensued around them as players start to sign for 2023, but Kurt Capewell and Paul Momirovski were enormous for the men from the foot of the mountains in 2021.
Capewell is an Origin player and doesn't need an introduction. Versatile enough to play at either centre or in the second-row, he was excellent for a large chunk of the 2021 campaign.
Momirovski, on the other hand, has signed a new deal with the Roosters, and it's little surprise Trent Robinson can see the value in the centre.
Defending in the centres has fast become one of the most important parts of the game, and Momirovski is better at it than most. He barely misses a tackle, always makes the right decision and has wonderful combinations with those around him.
Slotting in likely with Daniel Tupou at the Roosters will stop other teams flat in their quest to attack out wide, and he is a mega loss for the Panthers, even if no one seems to realise it.
Izack Tago has huge shoes to fill.
How does Jarome Luai get back to his best?
The stats may not show it, but Jarome Luai wasn't at his absolute best in 2021.
Alongside Nathan Cleary, it was hidden, and he did play far better - as the remainder of the Panthers side did - but without Cleary, Luai looked a little lost at times.
While the Panthers will understandably be sweating on Cleary being fit for the entire season, that simply may not happen and Luai needs to be the conductor when he isn't there.
The experience of doing it last year for a period will undoubtedly help the young half, but his kicking game will become the critical component if he has to run the Panthers team on his own again for any length of time.
He has the skills to carry it out, but he needs to execute.
Can Nathan Cleary play at the same level?
There is no question that Nathan Cleary is the most important player at the Panthers.
His 2021 season would have been a Dally M winning one in any other season, had Tom Trbojevic not become the undisputed best player in the game despite playing just 15 games.
Cleary was enormous for the Panthers though. Led by his kicking game, he has excellent game management and barely put a foot wrong all season.
He is the New South Wales Blues half and virtually the first picked in that side, and will need to keep his form rolling in 2022 if Penrith want to hold off the competition.